How to Play Select Minor Chords on Your Ukulele

Minor chords in music for any instrument — not just ukuleles — are considered the dark, sullen chords. But minor chords help you create beautiful, moody music, so don’t dismiss them.

Every chord has a minor version, indicated with a lowercase‘m’ after the chord name: C has C minor (Cm), G7 has G minor 7 (Gm7), and so on.

Attempting the A minor chord on your ukulele

A minor is a simple minor chord to start with because it requires just one finger: your middle finger on the g-string at the second fret. So just put your finger on the g-string and strum to create this chord; Your hand should look like this:

The chord diagram looks like this:

Playing the D minor chord on your ukulele

The D minor chord is very similar to the F chord, as the chord diagram shows:

Fret the D chord by

Putting your index finger on the E-string at the first fret.

Fretting the g-string at the second fret with your middle finger.

Using your ring finger to fret the E-string on the second fret.

Your fingers should look like this:

Fretting the E minor chord on your ukulele

To play Em, you have to venture up the fretboard. Start by putting your index finger on the A-string at the second fret. Then bridge over that with your middle finger to play the E-string at the third fret. Then bring your ring finger over that to play the C-string at the fourth fret, as the chord diagram shows:

Because both your middle and ring fingers are arching over other strings, Em can be a tricky chord to get right. Pluck each string individually to make sure that it sounds clearly with no buzzing.